Planning approval for huge new school in Laois Offaly town of Portarlington

No objections to a planning application for a huge new secondary school in Portarlington has helped it to cruise straight through to full approval.

Coláiste Iosagáin is going to get what will be the biggest school for several counties, replacing their long outdated and cramped building and eight blocks of prefabs.

The new school will have space for 1,300 pupils. Coláiste Iosagáin currently has over 1100 pupils in a school that was built for 750 students with eight blocks of prefabs.

After a decade of waiting and planning, the school board were able to submit their application last July, and it was approved this week, with no changes to the proposed plan.

The principal Justin Brown shared his reaction to the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

Coláiste Iosagáin principal Justin Brown.

"We are delighted. We are meeting with the Department and the Design Team on Friday to ensure that we continue this momentum," he said.

He said they were expecting the process to take longer.

"We were pleasantly surprised. The architects were even expecting requests for further information from the Council so we are all happy.

Designed by Kennedy Fitzgerald Architects, the new school will be in a 'X' shape, part three-storey, part two-storey, covering a vast 12,646sqm. 

It will have 48 classrooms, 24 specialist teaching rooms with associated preparation rooms, four special needs classrooms with a Special Needs Education suite, and a double height multi-purpose hall with associated PE accommodation.

There will also be a library, staff rooms, administration rooms, toilets, stores, accommodation and also a double height General Purpose hall with its own kitchen and store. 

Outside there will be a covered area, a construction studies store, bin store, an Air source heat pump and an ESB substation. There will be 104 parking spaces and six universal parking spaces. There will also be 120 bicycle parking spaces. 

After it is built and the students and staff have moved into their brand new school, the old school will be demolished and the prefabs removed, and a new GAA pitch will be built instead, as well as seven MUGA multi purpose playing courts. 

The multi million cost will be paid by the Department of Education. It will be built on the GAA field at the back of the existing school. The 6.2 hectare land is owned by the board of management.